What has to happen for Coutinho to become a Chelsea player?
However, according to reports in Germany, the Bundesliga club are not likely to take up that option in the summer.
It means that the forward will return to Barcelona, however the Catalan club are ready to let him go once again. However, the next step is going to be the negotiations over a loan fee, which could be around the €13million mark, as well as paying his full wages.
The other stipulation that Barcelona might try to enforce is an obligation to buy, which is going to be something which could prove to be a sticking point in the negotiations.
An option to buy might be something Chelsea could work with, but they might not be keen to have an obligation enforced upon them. Of course, the last issue is to do with the transfer window and when that could be opened.
At the moment, football is on a hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak, and there is no set date for when it might return.
That will impact the start of the transfer window and, of course, when the 2020/21 season might actually begin. There are a lot of permutations right now for if a deal might even be tabled between the two clubs.